This is the end. Hold your breath and count to ten.

Thanks Adele for introducing me today.... your voice is so lovely. 

You've heard Skyfall right? 

Anyhoo guys and gals, Well, I should say one gal.  I think I'm done.  I really enjoyed doing this blog and for over a year I have done it, but its not gaining traction and hasn't showed that anyone else other than my momma even reads these posts.  It was fun, but lately its been kind of a downer knowing that its not reaching many people.  So, I'll keep within my own pet peeves and give you the warning.  This is it.  Homemaker Kim blog is finished.  Close the book.

Thank you and good night. 


Momma, know that I will certainly keep you informed of all my domestic and business based adventures always..... love you! 

Why I Quit Food Shopping Once A Month.

Hello All,

If you follow frugal blogs or know anything about America's Cheapest Family, you have probably heard of only going food shopping one time a month.  The reasons are obviously to save time, but also so that you aren't tempted to buy those impulse buy items... (my weakness is the donuts at the bakery)  It is a wonderful thing if you can swing it. 

I did this for many months.  I would pour over my menu for the month, look at the ads and create my "master" grocery list.  I would end up shopping at 3 different stores usually.  I would hit the grocery outlet first to see if there were any things on my list that I could score for really cheap.  Then I would hit Target for things like toilet paper, trash bags, deodorant and things like that.  I would finally hit the grocery store and be completely and utterly exhausted by the time I got home.  However, knowing that I was finished for a whole month was a very good feeling. 

When we started the business, things started to get a little bit more hairy.  We did basically the same thing except that we would span the shopping over three days and go after work.  You notice that I say "we" because I was no longer alone in the shopping.  I now had hubby and son to tag along... and let me tell ya, if you wanna bust a budget just take those two into an outlet grocery store where everything is just so yummy and cheap .... and "HONEY THEY'RE ONLY 50 CENTS!  So of course we had to have 8 or 10!  Those boys, I tell ya....

I noticed that I had less and less time to create the menu and master list, so for a couple months I created a weeks worth of meals and just multiplied it times 4.  Yes, we ate the same menu for a month straight... and it got so boring! Here's something else that got old.  Since I was more rushed in my meal planning phase I ALWAYS seemed to forget SOMETHING for the menu!  SHOOT!  It always seemed to be a small but very much needed thing too.... like butter.  Ya gotta have butta!  (that's me channeling my Long Island Medium Theresa!--never heard of her?  OK, moving on.)

So I finally gave in (and it helped that we now have 2 cars!) and started shopping on my days off each week.  I now can create a weeks worth of meals, try new recipes and still stay within budget.
If I'm low on something there are no worries, I'll just get it next week.  I still go to Target and the outlet store, but I only go once a month still for those.  I hit Costco every few months for bulk items like flour and sugar.  The bulk of my food shopping is at Aldi.  I'm sorry folks, but I love that place.  I steer clear of the processed stuff as much as possible and buy the whole foods.  You can buy healthy stuff for cheap, but that's a whole other post. 

So, there you have it.  Now am I against going shopping once a month?  Absolutely not.  It's awesome.  But, some families have the time, some don't.  I'm definitely in the don't have time in this season of my life.  That's what my blog is all about... finding that sweet spot between being a business woman and a homemaker. 

Until Next Time Friends!

Update on all the goings on!

Hey Everyone! 

Hope everyone is doing well -- and to all the momma's out there, I hope you had a great Mother's Day.

Anyway,  I thought I would do an update on all the stuff going on in Casa De Boyers....

On the home front, things are moving along.... slowly, but moving.  I'm afraid that my gardening dreams are all but washed away this year.... there is simply just no time unless I get up and out to the garden by the butt crack of dawn... and that's just not gonna happen.  I'm looking into perennial gardening.  My side garden where all my perennial plants and flowers are up and look beautiful.  I have not touched it except for mowing it once this year.  That's the garden I need.  I (in all my spare time tee-hee) hope to move my tulip bulbs to places you can actually see them.  I also want to split some of the iris that I have and move them to the bare side of the house.  That would look really pretty.  I've got some strawberries and a blackberry bush that are doing well even though I've only weeded the bed. The Black Susan's I planted last fall are coming up and taking off.... so yeah, I have to face it that a perennial garden is what I need.  I'm looking into all the fruits and veggies that are perennial. We planted about 10 hop plants on either side of the back of the house to try to provide some privacy.  They are doing great, but grow really fast and need support.  This year tomato cages will be all they need, but next year, we'll need posts with steel cables to support those babies!  Maybe some day HGTV will show up at my door and just do everything I want in 1 day!!  A girl has to dream....

On the business front, things are moving along... steadily moving.  We are so tired most days and we are working harder than we have ever worked. BUT WOW!  Is it worth it.  Not to say there aren't days that I wanna pull out my hair and long for things to be back the way they used to be, but those days are fewer and fewer.  Things are going really well and I know this is where we're supposed to be.  It feels so good to earn our own money.  We are still on a tight budget at home, but we are very purposeful with every dollar.  Even though we are not earning a very large salary right now, we are still able to set money back for savings.  We're starting to look around the house for those extras that we really don't need or want any longer to help boost the emergency fund a little quicker. 

On the kitty front, fun loving babies!  Our oldest Shade, was having trouble with her tummy and the medication is just so expensive.  We decided to not get medicine and just try a really high quality food.  It is a grain free rabbit meat based food and it has done wonders for her.  We give her a bit of either yogurt or wet food in the morning and let her eat the dry the rest of the day.  She no longer vomits and diarrhea is gone.  She has spunk in her step again and seems to feel so much better.  The other kitties are doing great.  Loving all the sun spots around the house! 

Until next time friends! 

Reorganizing the Spare Bedroom Closet

Hey Everyone,

I know it's been awhile, but I'm still pluggin' away on cleaning out and organizing my house.  I've finished the downstairs, now I need to move upstairs.  I started in the spare bedroom because it was crying out for help the loudest.  I didn't even think to take pictures.  I didn't really do too much in there.  We use it as a game room for our son and storage really right now.  We rarely, if ever, have guests over, so we really need to use this room for function.  The main thing I did was organize the filing cabinet. But, we'll talk about that project another day.  So, the closet....yeah, it was kind of a mess as you can see. 

So, I got to work.  I went through each item deciding if it stays, gets donated, gets trashed or gets moved to a new home in the house. 

It seems that I have a problem with saving gift bags and even old Christmas cards.  Maybe I look at Pinterest too much??  Things got stuffed down in this "organizer" that didn't belong.

I found my vacuum cleaner bags in there!  That is a sign that maybe this organizer is not working out for me... ya think?

Of course Toby was there inspecting my work....

I finally got everything out except for hubby's record collection.  He put them there when we moved in our house in 2003 and he said that I can take them out of this closet when he is dead.  I'm not kidding, he really said that.... he is serious about his record collection, even though he hasn't touch them in 10 years... *shrugging shoulders*

My wrapping paper "organizer" went into the donate pile quicker than anything.... no wonder it was on clearance for $1.99 when I bought it. 

I'll show you guys the after picture in my next post.... but the question for now is.... what do I do with all this wrapping paper now???  Don't worry, I've got plans!  ;)

Until Next Time Friends!

How We Sold Our Very Loved, But Very Old Car.

Hey there everyone! 

Today I thought I would share my experience in selling my very old car. 

We bought this Nissan Sentra waaayyy back in 1996.  It was brand new and only had 52 miles on it.  We got a bit of a deal on it since it was a leftover 1995 model.  It has been a great car to us.  We bought it a couple months before we got married.  It took us on our honeymoon, on our 3 year anniversary trip to Florida and we brought home our son in this car.  We never thought we'd also take our son to 5th grade in this car!  So she has had a good life with us and has been a great car. But this past year she has become tired.  With 253,000 miles on it, she began nickel and diming us.... a part here, a part there.... $200 here, $50 there, another $300 there.... ahhh, our car was much less dependable.  When she was rejected for inspection back in January for a variety of brake work that needed done equalling over $800 we knew that it was time to give it up. 

Now, for all the money geeks out there, you know that hubby and I are debt free except the house.  We learned a very important lesson here.  While it was great that we buckled down and paid off our debt, we neglected to save towards the purchase of a newer car when this time came. So, if you are on the path to become debt free, be sure to save for things that need to be replaced in the future so you don't end up being stuck like we were.  If we had just started putting $100 a month away when she rolled over 100,000 miles, we would have immediately had a good chunk of money for a different car. I'm getting off subject, but BEWARE!

So here's what we did to sell the car.... after I accepted that it indeed was "time to take the next step".  *sniff*

Clean and wash the car as best as possible.  Now guys, I'll admit, I didn't wash the outside, because really, look at the paint job.  So I thoroughly cleaned the inside and called it a day. 

Take some good pictures with different angles. 

We listed it on Craigslist. Craigslist is free and easy to use.  We uploaded the pictures and were honest about what repairs needed to be made. 

Price it Fairly.  We weren't looking to make a bundle.  We put our list price at $500, after several offers and a couple showings, we found a buyer and agreed on $400. 

There was much more interest than I thought there would be.  Cars that are known for longevity will probably get you the same results.  Maybe not so much for say a Ford Focus.... nothing against Fords, I'm just sayin'....

Now my car is being fixed by a fella who is handy with cars and will be his errand running car.  It makes me happy to know that this isn't the end for her.... and the $400 in my hand?  Yep, that's heading straight to my next car! 

Until Next Time Friends....

My crazy 48 hour adventure!

Hey All,

I'm kinda weirded out because I had 2 days off in a row!  What!?!  That might not be a big deal to most, but for a business owner, yeah, it's kind of a big deal.  How did I spend my 48 hours of pure bliss you ask? 

Working around the house of course.... yeah, exciting.  I know.

So exciting that I'll share it with you!  Oh I bet you're pumped for this aren't you!?  Wooohoo!  Let's get this crazy train started!

Well, the first day I did my normal cleaning up after kitty's and breakfast for everybody thing... then when it was peaceful, I mowed the back yard.... Crazy times I tell ya.... crazy!

I did take time to check on the peas that have started to sprout and put up supports for them.

I checked on my strawberry plants and I learned a gardening lesson.... Never put manure down that hasn't been aged because then you end up with this....

Actually the weeds don't look that bad in this picture, but I assure you, they are bad. Really. Bad.

I also planted our hop rhizomes that we were gifted.  These grow fast and vine so we decided to plant them like a wall on either side of our backyard so it will give us some privacy.  We hope to put up posts and train these to go across the top like a trellis. Nothing like a living awning!

By the time I finished all that it was time to scurry around the house cooking dinner and making the place presentable for hubby.  The next day I lived life like a rock star and did......

Laundry.  See I told you it was exciting!  I spent time writing out some bills and working the budget before moving on to my next crazy adventure....

Cleaning out the spare bedroom closet.  I know you're excited to see that but you'll just have to wait for its very own post.  I promise that it will be worth the wait... there's drama involved with this decluttering. 

This picture is just for fun, and wasn't even taken recently.  This was back in November when we celebrated Ashton's birthday.  I chose it, because I'm doing what I love most.  Spending time with my little man.  Even though my days off weren't the most exciting, it was perfect for me.  I stay so busy running a business that I LOVE doing simple things like working in the yard and doing laundry. It gives me a time to regroup and just be. 

What simple things do you enjoy doing when life gets hectic? 

Until Next Time Friends....

Roasting Green Coffee Beans

Hey there All,

I had the pleasure of having a customer bring us some green coffee beans and what made it even better was that he roasted them for us on the spot.  Well, he didn't roast them for me, since I can't drink coffee.  Between my rosacea and my heart doing a flip flop if I drink caffeine, I had to break up with one of my favorite things in the world.... *sniff*  Now, I still drink decaf occasionally, but every body knows that it just isn't the same. Anyway, lets get back to the torture of watching fresh beans being roasted knowing I can't have any fun!

I don't know what I expected the green beans to smell like, but they smelled like nuts to me... earthy but slightly sweet. 

You can buy roasters online, but they are very pricey.  He made his own roaster with a modified popcorn popper and rotisserie parts.  He needs to do his roasting outside since it creates quite a bit of smoke.  It was a chilly windy day, so for a medium roast it took about 15 minutes. 

After it was done, he put it in a large pot tossing it in the air to blow away the chaff.  It continues to roast after being taken off the roaster, so it was important to cool it down quickly.  The smell was INCREDIBLE.  After it was cool, you could see the oils on them and looked like gourmet coffee.  It is definitely cheaper to roast your own.  He buys his beans from a website called www.u-roast-em.com  I don't get paid by these folks for mentioning them, but if I were to buy green beans, these guys I hear are great!  Eric enjoyed those beans for the next week of morning pots of coffee, while I just looked longingly..... it smelled so good..... I took a very small quick sip and I think I saw angels for a split second...

Until Next Time Friends

80/20 Rosacea Maintenance

My body has a way of telling me to knock it off if I get too far off balance.  Too much stress will usually mean a cold sore will be making an appearance, not eating enough fruits and vegetables will be told by the train slowly coming down the tracks if you know what I mean and if I reaaalllly don't pay attention to any of those signs and knock it off, my face will tell me every time I look in the mirror. 

What am I talking about? 

Rosacea.

I went to the dermatologist a couple years ago and found that I, along with 16 million other Americans, have this weird skin thing.... I look like I'm forever a little flushed and pimply on my cheeks.  I can usually hold it off by being gentle to my skin.  No harsh soaps, stay out of the sun, no weird chemical filled lotions or moisturizers, heck, I can't even use a washrag to wash my face.  It's a gentle wisp of cool water daily and a light wash in the shower with sensitive skin soap weekly.  That's it. I use witchhazel to cleanse and top with coconut oil.  It can't take any more. 

But as of late, my skin has been rebelling like a teenager... my skin is red, bumpy, dry and prickly.  It feels hot, making me want to put my cool glass to my face.  I did some research and found that your eyes can even burn a bit during a flare up.  I thought my eye makeup was making my eyes burn... nope.... it's the rosacea. 

 

 

So I surrendered and said OK, OK,  I get it..... too much pizza, coffee and sweets.  Too much worrying and working and eating very little of the veggie and fruit groups.  I GET IT.  I give! 

 

 

I started doing some research and found that folks with rosacea need to stick to a mainly alkaline diet... meaning things that don't cause your pH to go too far to acid.  By acid, I mean alllll the fun stuff.... coffee, caffeine, hot drinks, (people you know how much I love my tea!) spicy foods,  chocolate, cakes, sugar... meats, breads, grains, dairy... the list goes on.  Now, you can have these things, but you gotta keep it at a 80/20 ratio.  80% veggies and fruits 20% acidic foods.  Makes sense though.  Not fun, but hey, makes sense.  I also found that rosacea is tied in with your digestive health, so if your train is having trouble getting down the track, or does, but is a slow sluggish train... you are helping your rosacea to flare up.  Again, makes sense right? 

 

So here I am.... keeping it 80/20 y'all! 

 

Now you're probably saying "Now Kim, didn't your doctor prescribe something for you to put on your face?"  and the answer is yes.  I tried it for a little while, but it didn't help and it actually burned worse.  I also didn't feel like committing myself and face to a prescription (equals $)  for the sake of trying to have a clearer face.  I'm going the natural (equals cheap) route.  Things are going nicely so far....

 

 *whispering* and just so ya know, my train is starting to move down the track a little quicker....   

Until Next Time Friends....

How to make Choco Crispies.....

Hey there everyone,

Today will be a quick little post about a new favorite dessert that I have discovered.  I saw this on Tricia Yearwood's cooking show on the food network.   It seemed easy and the combination of salty and sweet is to die for!  We even gave this to Ashton's Papaw for his birthday.  Let's get started. 

First, lay out saltine crackers on a cookie sheet. 

Next, melt butter and brown sugar on medium low.  I think I used about half a stick of butter to 1/3 cup of brown sugar. You are creating a kind of caramel, so you may need to play with it a bit to get the consistency right.  You don't want it too thick or too runny nor do you want it too sugary or too buttery.   

Once the caramel is ready, spread this alllllll over the saltines..... yummmmm!  Next take a bag of chocolate chips or bakers chocolate and melt them in the microwave.  I start with 1 minute then stir and then microwave for 30 seconds between stirs.  Do this until its nice and melted.  By now the caramel has probably set up nicely on the crackers.  Spread the chocolate on top of this.  Oh yea, now we're talkin'!

Now set this in your freezer (if you have impatient little ones )  or in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.  You want this to set up nice and firm.  Now you can break this up kind of like a brittle or candy bark. 

I hope you try this .... it's crazy good, easy to make and not expensive at all to make! 

Until next time friends!

YouTube Maybe?

Thinking about starting a Homemaker Kim You Tube Channel:

What do you think?  Could you stand watching goofy videos with this mug?

Making a one gallon batch of beer..... enough said.

Hey All, 

Thanks for hanging in there while I took a bit of a break... I had about a week where I was just in a funk trying to find my new normal with not having my DiDi kitty around.... These pictures are from a few weeks back, but it was fun.... so I thought I'd share.....

Beer.  Making Beer.  Now, I have to admit that I'm not a huge beer fan.... but I love the process of making it.... so what did I do when I had some extra time on my hands?  Of course, make beer. 

Here goes.....

Here's a picture of everything I needed to brew.  It includes 1 1/2 - 2 gallons of water, 1 lb of Dry Malt Extract, about 5 oz of steeping grains, hops and 1/4 tsp Irish moss.  I'm waiting for the water to come to a temp at this point.... about 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once I was able to get to that temp, I moved the pot to the sink and placed the bag on the plate in the pot and put on the lid.  Those are the steeping grains.  I steeped them for 30 minutes.  Once that was done I took out the bag ( let it drip, but DO NOT squeeze!)  Now it's boil time.  Wait, Wait WAIT for the water to come to a nice rolling boil....  

I think I should mention that brewer's are a lot like gardeners.... ask 10 the same question and you will get 10 different answers.... so, in other words, if you're a brewer and don't like my style... don't hate! 

Once I had a boil going, I added in my first hop (for bittering) and half of my dry malt extract.  It's best to do this off the heat so it doesn't scorch.  Set a timer for 60 minutes... yep, I let this bad boy boil for 60 minutes... At 30 minutes left of my boil I added in the rest of the dry malt extract. 

While I was waiting for the boil to finish, I started sanitizing my fermenter, airlock and anything that will come in contact with the wort once it is finished boiling.  Bacteria/yuckiness is the devil after you have boiled.... and is prime time for infection.  I used Star San to sanitize.  It's a no rinse sanitizer and is easy to use. 

At 10 minutes before the end of the boil I added the Irish moss.  It helps the beer clarify.  I also added a touch more hops at the end of the boil for aroma.  Now it's time to get that thing cooled down as quickly as possible. I guess that I should mention that now that "thing" has a proper name of "wort" now that it has been boiled.  It doesn't become beer until after it is fermented.  I wanted to get it down to around 70 degrees.  I used a cold water bath.  For bigger batches someone could use an ice bath or a wort chiller. 

Once you have it cooled down, it's time to aerate.  Using my sanitized paddle I stirred and swooshed that thing until it had a nice foamy froth going.  I poured my yeast on top and capped it using an airlock. CO2 comes out, but no bad buggers getting in.  Done!  Uh-oh!  I forgot to mention that I took a hydrometer reading to see where it is sitting.  It was good at 1.060.... its going to be a stronger beer...

Now I wait about 7 days for it to finish fermenting.... so fun to watch! 

Until Next Time Friends!

DiDi... the end of a 17+ year friendship

Hi All,

Well, the day has come...... unexpectedly, but it has come.  The day that I had to say goodbye to my dear girl DiDi.  We had found a new routine that was working well both for her and us.  She seemed to be doing well, even went out to the garden with me. 

We came home the other evening and immediately knew that something was wrong.  We call her name when we get home.... "Hi DiDi!"  and we are usually met with an energized meow that means nothing less than get me on the couch! 

But, this time we were met with silence.  I walked over to her and she was just lying there, head up, but very quiet and seemed very out of it.  We continued to call her name, but she never made a sound.  I picked her up and placed her in front of her bowl, but she just laid down, not able to hold herself up.  I noticed that she had dried vomit on the side of her face.

We decided to watch out for her.... we figured that she had had a fainting spell which tires her out, she would be fine.  But she was not.  She became worse as the night went on, so much that we were certain that she wouldn't make it till morning. 

I slept with her on the couch that night, checking her breathing periodically ....

By morning, we knew that we had to help her put an end to her suffering.  She couldn't move her body at all.  I took her in the first available appointment our vet had. 

It's hard to let her go because she has been with us for so long.  We've had her even before we got married, so practically for our entire relationship she has been with us. She has lived in 3 houses with us, she was there when we married, there when our boy was born and has defeated many odds to end up living a long life.

I miss that girl.... and it's been a big adjustment not having her with us.  I spent so much time taking care of her that now, I really don't know what to do with myself.  No more carrying her to her bowl, litter box and couch.  No more cleaning up her play pen area in the morning and evening... no more baths, no more laundry..... I would do it all again though. 

Until Next Time Friends....

First Day Back In The Garden!

Hey All! 

Well, it's that time of year again.... crossing my fingers to grow some good food!  Not only is it healthier for my family, but also helps save some buckeroos! 

So here's some pics of my first days work.....

After doing some weeding and turning the soil, I planted my peas.  I also planted some collard greens.  Both of these crops like cooler weather, but unlike last year, the soil temp is still too cool for them.... they haven't sprouted yet!  Hopefully they will soon.  I chose to plant snap peas this year.  No shelling and more food for the same amount of work.  Win. Win.

I brought a helper out with me.....

My girl DiDi..... she loves being outside.... she is so cute when she sniffs at the air and just enjoys being outside....

Totally unrelated, but here's some just for fun pictures of when my little man and I went to the mall recently.  He keeps saying that these guys look like a creature from one of his video games.....

I however, didn't think they were creepy at all! 

Until Next Time friends!

Pancake Poppers

Hey Everyone! 

Sorry for the junky picture, but I quickly took this pic this morning.  I try to make something a little special on Sunday mornings.  I have more time to cook since we don't go to work until 11:30, so I like to make waffles, pancakes or this week.... pancake poppers!  I used up the last of the 9 cent waffle and pancake mix that I bought at Kohl's one evening to make these.  I needed to do some other chores while these baked, so it was so easy to just pop them in the oven! 

I'm looking forward to doing another batch from my normal homemade pancake recipe.  I baked these in a mini muffin tin at 350 F degrees for about 20 minutes.....

Yummy and great dipped in maple syrup.... even hubby loved them!  It was so cute hearing a grown man say "Are there any more pancake poppers?" 

In other news..... The sun is finally shining, the air is becoming warmer and I will be spending the day planting peas, lettuce and garlic tomorrow!  I will also be preparing a bed for potatoes. 

I am looking forward to a fresh start in the garden! 

Until Next Time Friends!

New Start....

Hey All! 

Just a quick post to say that I can't put my girl to sleep.  I just can't.  There is too much life in that old girl for me to decide to end it.  We are trying some more things to help her stay cleaner and comfortable.  We don't just up and put granny down when she has trouble walking and seeing do we?  Nope and I won't do that to my girl.  It would be different if she was in pain, but she is content, but just needs extra help and things done a little differently to help her thrive. 

Here's a picture of her after her bath this past week.

We feel like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders.  Since hubby and I decided that our gut was telling us not to euthanize her, she believe it or not, has been better.  I don't know if she's feeding off my energy or what, but she seems more with it.  She still can't see very well, but her problem eye has reduced the pupil which was nearly all the way dilated all the time to now you can see the color in her eye.  So we have found a new normal.  If that means a bath a couple times a week, that's OK and I'm more than willing to do it.  I put her outside for a couple minutes in the morning when its not too cold so she can sniff the air and truck around the yard.... I put down a towel for her to sleep on so that if she does wet the bed it pulls the moisture away from her instead of soaking her fur.  Doing these simple things have made it better already. 

Here's to my girl...... I won't give up DiDi.....

Here's to a new start!

Update on DiDi

Hi Guys, 

There's really no real point to my post today except to tell you that my girl DiDi is not doing well.  Over the last month she has really gone down hill. 

She's blind, can barely walk and now seems to be confused mentally.  She's not acting like herself. 

Even though it kills me to admit it, I think the time is here to put an end to what has turned into a very low quality of life. 

We've been talking about this more seriously the past couple of weeks.  We have tried everything to help her, but nothing seems to help and with barely being able to get up now she often ends up laying in her own urine and feces.  As you know, we work most of the time, so that is not fair to her. 

I know all this sounds like me just trying to justify our decision. You're right. 

We don't want to give up. 

I will be calling our vet on Monday morning to make an appointment on Monday, March 11th 2013, so if I don't do a blog this coming week, its because I'm preparing my heart for the ache to come.  I'll be bathing my girl, loving my girl, helping my girl until the day we say good bye. 

It is the hardest decision we've ever made. We would prefer her to go on her own....but, she has always been a tough cookie. We'll see.

Thanks for just letting a girl vent. 

Until next time friends.

A bug and credit reports

Hey All, 

I wish this sweet little praying mantis is the bug I'm talking about in my title.... but it's not.  What I'm talking about is a bug that we all just love and hold dear to our hearts....

The Stomach Bug. 

Blahhhhh.  Love and hold dear to our hearts?  More like hide from and hope it doesn't find it's way to us.... but it did. 

Via my son's school.... lovely.

He came down with it suddenly last Wednesday night. Luckily, it was pretty much over after the first 24 hours.... but we kept him home from school Thursday and Friday to be sure he was good to go. 
I quickly followed suit on Friday night.  I'll spare you all the gory details, but I'm pretty sure there was a demon laughing at me from the bottom of the porcelain bowl my sixth go round.  I too was lucky enough to be pretty much back to normal by Sunday.  Hubby started last night and while the worst is over (you know, the whole camping by the toilet all night part) he still needs to gain his strength and hopefully will be better by tomorrow. 

So what do you say we move on to something more fun and delightful!?  OK!

Let's talk credit reports people! 

What? Isn't that fun and delightful?  Well, in my penny pinching world it is, so get used to it!

Your credit report is important to go over to make sure that nobody is walking around spending cash in your good name.  It's so important that you can get a free copy of your credit report yearly through the website www.annualcreditreport.com just to make sure there's nobody spending money in your good name!   I've known that this was available for quite awhile and I did it.... a few years back..... like, when my son was still in pull ups, but that's not the point! 

Luckily, I've been watching a YouTube channel that I really enjoy.... I highly recommend the family on the debtisdum channel.  (I know dumb is spelled wrong, but that's all they could get I imagine) They are on their journey to become debt free through Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover Plan.  The last video I watched was about credit reports and how to get one free every single year.  It got me off my booty and took all of about 5 minutes to fill out the info on the site, pass some security questions and print it out.

What a sense of relief when I reviewed everything and all was correct.  Keep in mind this free report won't give you your credit score.  It lists all the places that have requested a credit report on you, all the accounts you have open and all the accounts that are closed. 

I am proud to say that I owe exactly 0 dollars and 0 cents to anyone.  No. One. 

Now, my hubby..... well, he has the mortgage in his name...... aren't I a sneaky little bugger?  ;)

Until Next Time Friends..... Check your Credit Report! 

372 days, Sitting room re-do and 9 cents.

Hello All,

I realized this morning as I was vacuuming the store that it has been a year since I quit my part time job to join hubby on our adventure in being self employed. My last day at my previous employer was on February 12th 2012.   It has been (almost to the day) a year since I received a paycheck from someone else.  I have to say, I am proud. 

But enough of me and my rambling on how much my awesome-ness is off the scale today, let's get to the real reason why you stopped by! 

My sitting room BEFORE:

My sitting room AFTER:

I like it!  The only thing I want to do next is change out the color from maroon to blue.  But the budget is sayin' (in a pirate-y kind of voice) Arrrgghh Kim, but ye budget is not allowin' for those luxuries as of yet.... ye better get to savin' ye booty!  

That was bad.  Fun, but bad..... no more pirate voice OK?  'mkay!

I've painted the hall way where the laundry closet is as well.... and I'm embarrassed to say it has taken 9 1/2 years... but hey better late than never! 

After picture to come.... teehee!

Ready for some cheap fun stories!?  Hey now, let's keep it G rated!  Here's the riveting tale of a girl who is plain out cheap.... and did I mention broke?  Yea, broke is a motivator here as well... 

So I took Ashton out on a "date night" while hubby attended a meeting the other night.  We had a good 3 hours to kill and we had a great night for what??  9 cents.  I'm not kidding!  Well, Ashton spent some of his money on a thrift shop item, but me.... a mere 9 cents.   Here's how....

1. Window shop at thrift store while son looks around and manages to find a metal detector for $20.... he's been wanting one for ages, but have you seen the prices of those things new??  Good Find Son, Good Find.
2.  Take son to have dessert at Cracker Barrel to use up last $9.18 that was left on a gift card your mom gave you..... have delicious cake like this.....

Also, look up in surprise as you notice that your son is practically finished his cake before you are 4 bites in.... he gobbles his up and helps you finish yours!  My my, quite the empty leg he has!

Walk out of Cracker Barrel having not spent a dime... using the last $1.39 for a tip... hey, she came to our table once! 

3.  Go to local bookstore to look at magazines and discuss how over priced "MineCraft" items are with son.  Let son get on soapbox about how unfair that is..... glow with pride that you are raising a cheapskate   wise, frugal person! 
4.  With still 0 dollars coming out of your pocket and only one hour left until hubby's meeting is over, head over to Kohl's to spend that last $8.91 on a gift card you have.  Look around and around for the perfect items.... and then find it...... (angels start singing here)

A perfect mix of gift card use and something that will be used, but not take up precious space. 

On Sale.  Equaling $9.00 at the register

You owe 9 cents.  So you counted out your nickel and 4 pennies.... took your kitty cat shopping bag with your new treats in it and walked out..... high fiving yourself all the way to the car.

That my friends, is a night out! 

Until next time friends!

On the little busy homestead!

Hi All,

I realized I haven't really given you an update on all the goings on in my little homemaker world recently. 

On the homestead, it is cold cold!  We have had a couple days in the 50's which make me yearn for spring even more.  We've been pretty lucky so far with not too much snow fall.  We've had snows, but nothing more than a few inches.  We're hoping to get through the winter without needing a kerosene heater. We'd like to have one in an emergency, but we have yet again put off getting one.
Fingers Crossed!  I will be pruning back the blackberry bush soon and start prepping the garden for peas and lettuce in March!  Woohoo!  I can't wait to get in the garden.  Now more than ever I want to grow as much food as we can.  I've been air drying the majority of our clothing (hubby still likes to dry his clothes in the dryer) and I'm excited to see the electric bill so I can see how much of a difference it makes.  I will compare last year at this time to this year.  We've also been turning back the heat to 63 degrees F when we are away and 62 degrees F when we are sleeping, so I'm hoping that will cut some cost as well.  Now, how will we do this in the summer when I want to keep the windows open at night and hubby wants to switch on the air?  Hmmmmm.

Financially we are doing well and making some head way.  We had the week of repairs earlier this month when Eric's car needed a repair, a pipe got clogged to the point of needing to call a plumber and our vacuum at work just up and quit.  We got through it though and thankfully we had our baby emergency fund in place to take care of the repairs.  Business is good and we are finally feeling the benefits of lots of hard work. 

Our kitty cats are good (as if you were just dying to know)  our older kitty DiDi has graduated to her own little play area. It is basically a fenced in area in the kitchen with her bed, food/water and puppy pad close by.  She can easily find her way to what she needs with out too much trouble (she's pretty much blind at this point) It is safer for her and safer/easier for us in case she has an accident.  All the other kids are good and the little boys are so curious about outside. 

Nope, I promised a final picture of my sitting room in the next post.... it will come soon, but not this time.... until then this adorable picture will have to suffice. 

Until Next Time Friends!

Sitting room re-do

Hey All,

 OK, so I've gotten all my downstairs de-cluttering and organizing finished!  Yeah!  Now it's on to more fun stuff.... like painting.  Painting.... yea, painting and I are like those friends you see and you really don't want to hang out, but you do and then you're soooo glad when its over....but yet you were happy to see them-- anyone else like that?  No?  Hmpf....

So... Here's what our sitting room looked like BEFORE:

I like this room ok, but the dark wall really makes the room look smaller and darker.  The only thing keeping this picture bright is the sunshine we luckily had that day.  First things first ... going to need to prime the doo-dads out of this wall! 

First coat done!  Phew!  But it is soooo obvious that it needs to have another coat of primer.... here goes!

 

 

Now we're set!  Of course my helpers had to be right there in case I needed any *help*

 



Here's one last shot.... getting started on the painting... I'm liking how much brighter and roomier it feels already!

Finished room in my next post..... what?  You didn't really think you'd get to see it already did you?  Sheesh! 

Until Next Time Friends!

Pet Peeve

Hi guys, 

I'm here at work with a little break in activities, so I thought I'd tell you what's irritating me today.... I know, not anything to do with being a homemaker.... well, I guess homemaker's complain sometimes... at least this one does.  Anyhoooo, here goes....

I'm sad when the author of a blog that I really enjoy says that they are tired of blogging and they are taking a break or stopping the blog all together.  But, I can understand.  They explain that they are real people, with real lives, real kids and real chores.  So I get that.  I appreciate the wrapping up and saying good bye. ( or until we meet again) 

Here's what I don't get.  I don't get being lucky enough to actually have people other than family members read your blog and just stop blogging without notice.  I don't get being lucky enough to have people comment and subscribe to your blog just for you to fall off the face of the earth.  I know people get busy and life happens.... but can you post a quick post and say something like....

I won't be posting on this blog any longer.  Thanks.

Give me at least that!

Stick it out or wrap it up.  That's all I'm sayin'.

Here's the blogs that I wish would just wrap it up....

Adventures of Voluntary Simplicity. 
Ramblings of a Happy Homemaker
and
Minimalist Packrat.  (Hasn't totally dropped off the earth, but only shows up every 6 months or so... in or out I say.)

That is my rant.  I assure you if I decide to drop off the face of the earth, you will be notified.

happy homemaking stuff to follow!  :)

Experiments gone bad and envelopes.

Hey All,

The organization/decluttering moves on which I will show you soon.  I've even started some painting!  But that is for another day.... today, I'm sharing an experiment I read on one of the blogs I enjoy reading. 

It said using a paste made of baking soda and water would clean a stubborn dirty oven door.  Yes. My oven door were both dirty and stubborn.  So, while I was doing some cleaning I decided to give this a try. 

So first you make the thick paste, but not too thick.... thick enough that it will stick, but still be easy to smear.  Which I did.....

Next you were suppose to let it sit for at least 30 minutes.... longer if necessary.... everything including the window are suppose to sparkle after you wipe away the baking soda.

I let mine sit...... 45 minutes in I did a test and saw that it needed to sit longer.

I let it sit.

For 3 hours.

And after all that plus some pretty arm aching elbow grease.... I got......

THIS.

At best, the window was slightly cleaner.....  so yeah, skip this piece of advice.... save the paste for your bathtub or something.....

Now on to more fun things..... envelopes.  What?  Envelopes aren't exciting for you?  What if I said they are money envelopes?  See.... I got your attention.... anyway, as you know I am on the Dave Ramsey Money Plan.... and in that plan you use envelopes to keep your money separated into different categories.... for us, we use the grocery envelope the most.  And this is my old one.... you can see why I said OK, time for you to go..... thanks dear friend....

Good Times we had.  Good times.

I have since replaced this envelope with a new crisp money envelope from our bank.  I know you can buy or make more permanent envelopes, but you forget who you're talking to..... I get bank envelopes for free and absolutely no work.... yea, that's how I roll.

Until next time friends!